How Different Types of Paper Can Give Different Impacts

Introduction

What do you need to know when it comes to choosing the best paper for any print media? Indeed, picking the best from the bunch can be rather tricky. It is, therefore, a necessary part of the entire experience of the complete product. Different papers will definitely give different impacts to the end users, so create the most suitable paper design after you’ve decided on the type of printing paper to use. Here are some tips to remember when it comes to your choice of paper for print media production:

Do You Choose Uncoated Or Coated?

The decision of either choosing coated or uncoated paper is arguably the option that will determine the overall feel of the final product. What do you need to do? Well, the answer is simple, choose carefully! Coated papers come in different varieties. They are smooth, semi-mate, gloss and even silk.

They are all suitable for printing photographs as well as other forms of art. Why so? This is simply because the paper quality does not allow the ink to be absorbed into the paper fibers. Eventually, the ink stays on top giving the final product some added brightness and glossy finish.

Coated papers are commonly used for:

Photography

Illustrations

Things that should give out that “pop.”

What about the uncoated types of papers? They are in most cases used for magazines or books.

The Weight and Thickness

The weight of a print paper is even trickier to describe. Weight is measured in various ways depending on your location. The most used measurements include grams per square meter and the pound for a five hundred sheet bond paper. For other types of paper, the weights may not always be the same because of the different types of ream sizes.

How about the thickness? In normal cases, the heavier the sheet of paper, the more the stiffness and added thickness. Often, this is measured in thousandths of an inch caliper measurements.

Some guidelines include:

20-24 – standard weight paper

24-28 – ordinary posters

80-100 – the best weight for those important business cards

Best Papers for Production of Posters

When it comes to art posters, we recommend silk and glossy coated papers. Besides, if you really want the colors to ‘pop’, use brighter and more saturated colors. Further advantages of coated papers are that they are resistant to smudges, dirt and sometimes even changes in physical damage.

As previously mentioned, selecting the right paper weight is essential in the production of brochures, business cards or pamphlets. Hence, the same applies when it comes to poster production. Why so?

If you’ll be hanging your poster outside, exposing it to the natural elements such as sunlight, wind, and rain, then you’ll need to pick a durable paper. Such is only found in papers with greater weight. Lastly, remember that for those large posters, they should be really thick so as to make sure that it lasts for a long time. As a rule of thumb, the thicker the poster, the more durable it is.

Conclusion

Always start by having the picture of your final product. Think about anything special that you may want you to have on a poster or brochure. Then think of how you’ll pass the message to the targeted group. Afterward, go on and carefully choose the quality and function which you intend your final product to have. Remember factors such as weight, brightness, and thickness. Lastly, take your time. Choosing the right type of paper has many benefits such as saving you time and money, and leaving an impression on anyone that gets to see the final product. Be it a poster, business card, official document or just a brochure, choosing the right type of paper should not be taken lightly!